Press

While there are big differences in how Republicans and Democrats view corporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, voters of all political stripes take a dim view of government meddling in such programs, a recent survey found.

The study, “Navigating DEI,” was conducted and released by ROKK Solutions ahead of the start of the 2024 primary season, and while the researchers had an inkling of what they’d find due to previous studies, “the strong opposition in the DEI space was really eye-opening,” said Lindsay Singleton.

See the whole report here and read Chief Development Officer Lindsay Singleton’s further insights into our study in The Well News.

NPR’s Juana Summers talks with Republican strategist Ron Bonjean about the 2024 election and what’s to come for Haley and Trump going into the South Carolina Republican primaries next month. Listen to All Things Considered to hear Ron’s insights and the full discussion here.

Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley has vowed to press on with her campaign in the wake of a second consecutive loss to Donald Trump. Ms Haley campaigned across New Hampshire ahead of Tuesday’s primary, courting both independent and moderate Republican voters. But she was unable to catch Mr Trump, who had a comfortable 11-point lead with most ballots counted. He now appears set to clinch the Republican nomination.

The former president last week won a landslide in Iowa’s caucuses, with Ms Haley placing third, behind Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Mr DeSantis quit the race days later, leaving Ms Haley as the last remaining rival to Mr Trump.

ROKK Co-Founder and Partner, Ron Bonjean, spoke with BBC about what the results of the New Hampshire primary mean for Haley moving forward.

Part of succeeding as an agency involves keeping a finger on the pulse of one’s industry to stay aware of rapid technological advancements and understand evolving consumer demands. At the start of a new year, many agencies are reflecting on the trends that impacted their work the previous year and considering how to approach these and other potential developments that might arise in the next 12 months.

Members of Forbes Agency Council share their predictions for the year ahead in the world of public relations, media, marketing, creative and ad agencies.

Executive Vice President of Digital and Paid Media, Rachel Winer, spoke with Forbes on her predictions for ad competition and costs in today’s digital-first and ever-divided environment.

The winner of the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primaries in recent competitive GOP presidential elections has typically had a good shot at becoming the nominee, even after losing Iowa.

While former President Trump is the indomitable GOP frontrunner, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley is vying for a win in the Granite State after a third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses.

ROKK Co-Founder and Partner Ron Bonjean spoke with Axios about how Haley’s run for president compares to previous candidates regarding the New Hampshire primaries.

Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley are stepping up their direct attacks on former President Trump as time runs out to court voters in Iowa.

The GOP rivals went after Trump over “flip-flopping” on abortion, his past campaign promises and electability Thursday in back-to-back town halls hosted by CNN in Iowa. The ramped-up aggression is a new tact for DeSantis and Haley as they vie to overtake one another and deny Trump the nomination in the eleventh hour of primary season.

ROKK Co-Founder and Partner Ron Bonjean spoke with The Hill about the strategy for GOP candidates going into the Iowa primaries next week.

ROKK’s research on how voters on the left and right believe AI is exacerbating biases with Penn State’s Smeal College of Business was featured in the Weekly Shift from POLITICO, which examines the latest news in employment, labor and immigration politics and policy. 

Workers are growing weary in the workplace with increasing issues coming from increasing technology. ROKK’s research found a majority of voters — both Democratic and Republican — feared artificial intelligence could exacerbate biases, including in mortgage rates, college admissions, credit access and law enforcement.

Learn more and check out our Navigating DEI research report.

Historically high levels of illegal immigration have made border security a major issue heading into the 2024 election season.

For Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), the Arizona Democrat-turned-independent, this moment also represents an opportunity to build her image as a bipartisan deal-maker who can get things done in a divided Congress months ahead of a critical deadline in which she must decide whether she will run for reelection as an Independent in a battleground state.

ROKK Senior Vice President and former aide to Sen. Sinema, John LaBombard, spoke with the Washington Examiner about how the senator has been involved in border security negotiations.

Democrats are scrambling to put state abortion-rights initiatives on the ballot this year in the hope that the measures will drive turnout and boost their candidates in national and local elections.

But those initiatives may not give Democrats the lift they are aiming for, according to a POLITICO analysis of five abortion-related measures that have appeared on the ballot since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. Voters decisively upheld abortion rights in every single case. But those margins were largely driven by Republican voters who also voted for GOP candidates.

ROKK SVP and long-time advisor of swing- and red-state Democrats, John LaBombard, spoke with POLITICO about what ballot initiatives mean for candidates.

Over the past year, DEI initiatives have been increasingly criticized by conservative advocacy groups and activists. While federal law prohibits private employers from considering race and other protected characteristics in employment decisions, they have the discretion to take steps to remedy racial imbalances in their workforces.

Corporations have seen an increase in attacks to their DEI policies by conservatives who threatened to sue, causing some to modify the policies or dial back from programs geared towards underrepresented groups.

ROKK has published research about how voters on both sides believe companies should have the right to execute DEI policies as they feel fit with Penn State’s Smeal College of Business, which is featured in this USA Today. You can also find the full report here.